How To Never Give Up On Your Martial Arts Ever Again

When I was in China, a friend of mine called to say that he was unwell. I asked him to come and visit me so I could teach him Qigong, he told me he didn't have time, I said to him, but when you are sick you will have time to go to hospital because you have no choice. The next day he came and studied with me for seven days. 

It has been my experience that one of the best ways to stay healthy and fit both internally and externally is through the practice of Shaolin Qigong and Kung Fu; it includes all we need for mind body health in one fully integrated unit.

The way to avoid never giving up on our martial arts is to start with a plan. My friend wanted to get better and feel strong again, the best way forward for him was to focus on internal training and not do any external training until he had regained his health. 

What do you want? If you are a beginner, it depends on your goal and your age as to what DVD you should start with. If you want to get fit and lose weight quickly then it's best to start with the Bootcamp DVDs or the Circuit Training DVDs. In these DVDs, we don't put so much emphasis on form but on fitness. If you want to be a martial artist then you start with Shaolin Workout and move through all three DVDs before you move onto Bootcamp and Circuit because you are working with your form and perfecting your movements. 

For the internal training, it's best for most people to start with "The Way Of Qigong Volume 1" but if you are under forty, impatient, training to be a fighter, or you want to quickly strengthen both internal and external then it's best to start with Qigong For Upper Body and Lower Body. Why? Because it means you will stay on target as you see and feel results  rapidly. 

Regardless of what you want, it's best to train 5 - 6 days a week. If you want rapid change then do kung fu in the morning and Qigong in the evening. Remember, you don't need to do all of the Qigong DVD, take a section, just fifteen minutes of Qigong is enough for you to feel the benefit. Alternate between Qigong For Upper Body and Qigong For Lower Body to balance your body. 

It's the same with the circuit training and bootcamp, unlike the Shaolin workouts, you don't need to learn them before moving onto the next DVD, keep surprising your body by changing your workout. Don't worry that your movements aren't 100% correct, as you keep working out, you will slowly slowly begin to perfect the kicks, punches and forms and at the same time you will gain exceptional stamina. 

Having a clear plan gives you a clear workout and keeps you on the path of The Shaolin Warrior.  

For more information on Shifu Yan Lei and his DVDs, please visit: www.shifuyanlei.com

If you do 1 thing this year make it this one: Awaken the Energy Matrix Of The Body

It's possible for a person to be fit and not healthy. No matter how many weights you can lift or push ups you can do, your energy will waver if your internal energy isn't strong.

It's true that aerobic exercise has been shown to prevent memory loss, heart disease, diabetes, depression and obesity. Weight training stops our muscles from shrinking as we get older. But what about our internal organs? Because we can't see them, we tend to only think of them when something goes wrong. But it's the internal organs that govern the body. They are the key to living young and having excellent health.

Most people who do intensive exercise, for example professional footballers, age rapidly and burn out when they are in their thirties. Shaolin monks and disciples do as much exercise but do not age or burnout in the same way. This is because we practice Qigong.

Qigong exercises the internal organs through stimulating them and getting rid of energy blockage.  Qigong has a regulating effect on the bodies energy. If a person's metabolism is too fast, it will slow down, if it's too slow, the body will shift accordingly. Too much stress leads to an increase in cortisol which leads to fat gathering around the belly.  Qigong balances the hormones helping the stubborn visceral belly fat to melt away.

Going through life without practicing Qigong is like driving a car and never topping up the air in the tyres. The air is our Qi, it gets us places. Take the air out of the tyre and the car will go nowhere, take the air out of our bodies and we die. It is as simple as that. On a basic level Qi is breath, it flows where the blood flows, but on a deeper level it is the energy matrix of the body and when we do Qigong we optimize it to get the most out of ourselves.

When the Bodhidharma came to the Shaolin Temple he found the monks were weak from sitting meditation so he developed a unique system of Qigong to energize the monks and help them gain enlightenment.

While our goal may not be to become enlightened, we can use this simple but effective system today to have more control over our energy levels . Life is about energy. When we love something or feel passionate about something we have a lot of energy. Our love for martial arts gives us the mental energy to keep training. The Qi in our bodies gives us the physical energy to keep training. The more energy we have the more we can get out of our life. All you have to do is 20 minutes practice of Eight Treasures Qigong 4 - 5 times a week and within a month you will see the benefit.

Shaolin 8 Treasures is taught in 2 DVDs,  Instant Health: The Shaolin Qigong Workout & The Way Of Qigong Volume 1